Multipole electric switch



Aug. 29, 1950 H. w. BATCHELLER MULTIPOLE ELECTRIC SWITCH 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Nov. 50, 1946 FF 8 O m .m@ w v A C 1 I w Q My 8 %z 4 w w In r lml H w 3 w 7 2050. 5 MW E A, h-

Aug. 29, 1950 H. w. BATCHELLER 2,520,270

MULTIPOLE ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Nov. 30, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invent 6rFT 8 HU h uJBdTchel Ier 510%,5ww, M E W Aug. 29, 1950 H. w. BATCHELLER2,520,270

MULTIPOLE ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Nov. 50, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 n2 RE NInverflfir Huqh LU. BdUhel ler iatented Aug. 29, 19 50 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE MULTIPOLE ELECTRIC SWITCH Application November 30, 1946,Serial No. 713,233

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a multi-pole electric switch adapted for usewith electric ranges and for similar purposcs where it is n cessary ordesirable to connect tOTGthBI' various electrical ele ments in differentcombinations. In using electric ranges, it is desirable to have aconsiderable number of different degrees of heating, ranging from a verylow heat to the highest heat to be had from the heating unit employed.For this purpose it is desirable to connect a range or the like to athree-wire circuit so that two different voltages are available. Byconnecting the heating unit in various combinations with two resistanceunits of different magnitudes, seven different degrees of heating can beobtained. It is an obiect of the present invention to provide a switchwhich is adapted to connect such resistance units and the heating unitto a three-wire circuit in different combinations so as to give sevendifferent degrees of heating as desired, the switch. being compact instructure, easy to assemble and consisting of a minimum number of parts.To this end, the switch hereinafter described is characterized by arotor which has a series of annular faces against which a number of armsare resiliently pressed, each arm having a boss thereupon which isadapted to move into and out of recesses in the annular faces so as tospring the respective arms away from contact with the annular faces andthus to make or break contact between contact elements on the endportions of such arms and fixed contact elements engageable thereby.

In order to make the connections for which the switch is designed, sixsuch arms are required. According to the invention, these arms arearranged in pairs in parallel planes, and the annular faces of rotor onwhich the arms bear are likewise in parallel planes. This makes forcompactness of structure. In order to facilitate assembling of the partwhich go into the casing, the rotor is preferably made so that itsannular faces are of different diameters, this resulting in a stepped orterraced structure as illustrated.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which:

the line 4-4 of Figure1;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is a section on the line 'l-'! of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is an isometric view of the rotor;

Figure 9 is an isometric View of th various conductors within theswitch, shown in their relative positions;

Figure 10 is a face view of the rotor;

Figure 11 is a section on the line H-H of Figure 4.

The switch comprises a casing 29 preferably of insulating material whichencloses the Working parts of the switch and acts'as a support for theseveral conductors contained therein. These conductors, as hereinafterdescribed, are conveniently secured to the casing 20 by rivets whichextend through the wall of the casing. In molding the casing, it iseconomical to mold the holes through which the rivets are to extend. Thecasing is designed so that all such holes are through the rear wallthereof. In this Way all of'the rivet holes can be formed in the moldingoperation. A cover plate 22 is adapted to be secured to the open frontof the casing 29 to act as a closure therefor.

As indicated in Figure 4, a rotor 24 which is preferably of insulatingmaterial and which is mounted on and keyed to a shaft 26 is journalledin the casing 25 as at 28, the shaft 26 also bearing in an opening inthe front cover plate 22. A suitable finger knob 30 is mounted on theforward end portion of the shaft 26 to facilitate manual rotation of theshaft 26 and the rotor 24 which is mounted thereon.

In order to hold the rotor yieldingly in any one of eight angularpositions, one or more de tents are provided, such detents beingpreferably in the form of small balls 32 which are pressed by springs 34housed in bores extending into the front face of the rotor 24 near theshaft 26. The balls 32 are pressed by the springs into shallow recesses36 (Figure 11) in the rear face of the cover plate 22. Thus the rotor isyieldingly held in any one of eight angular positions equally spaced byangles of 22%}. The rotor 24 is illustrated in Figures 8 and 10 and ischaracterized by three annular faces 38, 46 and 42 which are in parallelplanes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor and which arepreferably of different diameters, the face 38 having the largestdiameter. This results in a stepped or terraced formation on the rearend of the rotor. The casr 9 and several of the other figures.

3 ing 20 serves as a support for a number of conducting parts, such asare illustrated in Figure These conductors include two U-shapedconductors 4e and 46 which are mounted on the support 20 in parallelplanes which are substantially the planes of the annular faces li and40. 'Iheconductor 44 is the larger'of the two U-shapd "conductors andincludes a pair of arms 48 and 59, the ends of. which are free, theseends having contact elements 52 and 54 which are pressed by the'resilience of the arms against fixed contact elements 56 and 58, respectively,the fixed elements being mounted on the support 20 and beingelectrically connected respectively to external terminals 6E." and 62.The arms 43 and 5!} of the U-shaped" conductor 44 extend across spa'c'edportions of' the annular face 38 of the rotor 24, the rotorbeingdisposed between these arms when it is mounted for rotation within thecasing. The arm" 48* is provided-with a raised element 'or boss 64 whichprojects from the front face ofthis arm: and bears-onthe annular face38*of the'rotor 24. Similarly, t e arm 59 is provided with a boss GGWhich pro ects 'from 'its'front face and-bears on the face 38. Asindicated in Figure 9, the'b'cs's 64 is'at a greater radialdistance fromtheaxis of the retor than is the -boss' fib; Hence, asthe rotor rotates;the bosses 64 and SE describe different concentric paths on theahnular'face 38, the boss 64 describing an outer path and the boss 66describin an inner path; As shown inFigures 8 and 10, an arcuate recessor depression'fiii isprovided in the outer path onthe face 38, and.

two-rec ses H! and 12 are provided in the inner path. Therelative'arrangernent of 'the face 38, the'bosse's 64 andfiii'a'nd thecontact'elements 52-; 54, 55 and 53'issucht 'atwhen the-boss'fi l' is inthe'depress'ion 6B, the 'contact elements 52 and 56 are pressed togethr, but when the boss 54' is bearing on the normal sur-faceofthe face 38,thecontact element 52*is 'held awayirom the element'fie. In likemanner," the contact elements 54' and 58 are-pressedtogetheromy when"the bosses is in the recesslU-or 12. Thus the lengths and angular posiions of the'recesses determine whether t e" contact elements are engagedor disen' d for the various angularpoeitionsof the rotor 24.

The small U-shaped'co'nductor '46 is somewhat similanin shapeto thelarger-conductor and includ s a-n'air of ar-rns l-daiid i-fi whichextendoverdiem tricall-y' oppositeportions f the annuilar'race'se on.thefrotorl" The'arrir isTe a'ndl'ii are provided re pectively withbesse's 18 andiifi' wh-ich' follow outer and inner-pathson'the annularface 40 since t ey are at different radiaPdista-nccs' from the axis ofthe rotor-'24: As indi'cated' 'in Figure 10-, in the outer path o'n'therace 49 are recesses 82, 84 ahdBfi, the inner path having tworecesses-88 and 9e. These recessesdetermi-ne tl-ie engagement ordisengagement of cerr sponding contact elements 92, 94", 96} and 93,since} the elements 92 and-9'5 are ontheend portien's of the a r-ms14'-and-16; respectively, and =the elements 94-"a'nd- 98 are fixed andare'conn'ected electrically" to-the fixed elements :56;--58 respective1yand hence to the terminals 69 and 6-2e Instead of-- a third iii-shapedconductor; two separate conductors lefi'andl'IZIZ aremounts'd' on thesupport 23 substantially in -the'- plane of the annularface 42. Theannular face' 42 diftersf from'the annular faces 38 and 'd-byrea-sonofthe" fact 7 that most of it is recessed so thatthe raceis at itsnormallevel only at thre'point 4 I04, I96 and I68, the remainder of theface being recessed. The conductors Hill and we are providedrespectively with bosses HE) and H2 which are adapted to bear againstthe annular face 42 and to move in and out of the recesses whichconstitute most of this annular face. When the bosses H9 and?! I Zenga'ge an-y of the elevated elements I84, Hit or I08, the"corrspondingconductor arm is swung away from the face 42 so as to disconnect acontact element H4 on the end of the'arm lfifi'from contact with a fixedelement I H5 or to disconnect a contact element 1 l8 on the end of theconduotor'arm 182 from the fixed ele- In'ent H6. Sin'cemost of the face42 is recessed,

l it:followsthat-thecontact elements H4 and H8 are in contact with thefixed element M6 for i connections are made, by means of hollow rivets-meta1 mounted on said support substantially HQ, 132, I3 andl'3fi'which-"extend through su.it' able. holes in the, back wall of'thjecasing, the interior of each rivet;being.- screw threaded to. re-

ceive a binding; screw which is inserted'from" The-contact elements 56are "parts ofa;

single pieceof'sheet metal \vhich is secured-to the casing: 2-9 and;electrically: connected to the terminal SBby a'pair of rivets'l ieg- Thecontact;- elements 58;-and;-98ar.6:parts ofai single; piece of.

metal which is secured to the casing 2:5 and the terminal 62' by-apairof rivets 1.4-2: All of these.

rivets extend through'holes' inthe: rear wall of' he c sinslm- When theva'rious terminals are properly con-v nected-to power lines.and-suitable resistances; suitable connections will result'from' turningtherotor to its various angularpositions;

One embodiment of' the:-- invention herein shown and des ribed isib yway of illustration andnot-limitation, the invention being subject tosuch mo'difications'and changes as in'ay'cornewithinthe scope of 'theappended claim.-

I claim: Amulti-pol'eelectric switch comprising a support, a rotorjournal-led in}- said support, said rotor having a steppedformationywith three an nular faces of different. diameters,-eae hof-said; faces havingrecesses therein, a U. -shaped conductor of sheetspring metal mounted. on said supportsubstantially 1n the plane of therotor face of largest diameter; the arms. of said conductor traversingspaced'portions' of said face.

n hav b se resil i li e r ng' on said, a

at differentfradial distances fromthe axis of the rotor, said facehaving recesses adapted to receive said bosses when the rotor isrevolved, a smaller U-shaped conductor of sheet spring the plane of theannular face of medium diameter on the rotor, said smaller conductorhaving arms with bosses resiliently bearing on said medium diameter faceat spaced points so that the bosses move into and out of recesses insaid face when the rotor is revolved, fixed contact elements on saidsupport engaged respectively by the end portions of the arms of bothsaid U-shaped members when the corresponding bosses are within recesses,conductors mounted on said support with bosses bearing resilientlyagainst the annular face of smallest diameter to move into and out ofrecesses in said smallest face, and fixed contact elements engageable bythe end portions of the last named conductors when the corre- 15 545REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,392,160 Hipple Sept. 27, 19212,172,396 Meuer Sept. 12, 1939 2,203,224 Kimball June 4, 1940 2,254,509Bassett Sept, 2, 1941 2,301,704 Kempton Nov. 10, 1942 2,325,440 TownsendJuly 27, 1943 2,416,897 Brady et a1 Mar. 4, 1947 Gates Nov. 23, 1948

